Cover for toilet tanks



April 30, 1963 s. s. DOLNICK 3,087,524,

COVER FOR TOILET TANKS Filed Dec. 18, 1961 IN VENTOR.

jejmourtpa [72% United States Patent 3,087,524 COVER FDR TOILET TANKSSeymour S. Dolnick, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Glen Mfg. Inc., acorporation of Wisconsin Filed Dec. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 160,028 1 Claim.(Cl. 150-52) This invention relates to a cover and more particularly toa cover for a toilet tank.

It is the general object of the present invention to produce a new andimproved cover for a toilet tank.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to produce aunitary cover for a toilet tank including the lid thereof which isprovided with means for fastening it in position and which, when sopositioned, will present a neat and pleasing cover for the toilet tankand which may be constructed of a material to provide a utilitarianfunction as well as a decorative appearance.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbereadily apparent from the following description and drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a toilet tank to which the cover of thepresent invention has been secured;

FIG. 2 is a rear View of the cover; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail one specific embodiment, with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principlesof the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to theembodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed outin the appended claims.

The tank cover of the present invention may be considered an improvementover the toilet tank cover shown in the Armstrong Patent No. 2,652,874and, like the cover shown in said patent, may be made of materialcapable of absorbing condensation moisture forming on the tank duringperiods of active use of the toilet and permitting the absorbed moistureto evaporate during periods of relative inactivity. Thus, if the coveris made of absorbent material such as chenille or the like, theundesired drip of condensed moisture onto the bathroom floor mayeffectively be prevented.

In the tank cover shown in the Armstrong patent, a separate cover is tobe provided for the lid of the toilet tank which, while possessingcertain advantages, also has the disadvantage of providing two items forthe housewife to adjust, as well as providing a break in what otherwisewould be a smooth contour of the cover, and sometimes causing difiicultyin maintaining the cover in proper position on the tank.

It has now been discovered that a unitary toilet tank cover can beprovided which includes as a part thereof a cover for the lid so thatthe entire cover can, in effect, be dependent from the lid and henceheld in proper position on the tank and which, in addition to retainingall the advantages with regard to the elimination of condensationproblems possessed by the tank cover shown in the Armstrong patent,possesses the additional features and advantages herein discussed.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a toilet having a tank 11,a toilet bowl 12 and a handle 13.

3,087,524 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 Covering the toilet tank, including thelid 11a thereof, is a unitary cover having a front panel portion 14provided with a slit 15 through which the handle may protrude. Sidepanel portions 16 are integrally secured to the front panel portion, andsecured to the lower edges of the front panel portion by stitching 17and to the lower edges of the side panel portion by stitching 18 is abottom panel 19 constructed to cover substantially all of the bottom ofthe tank. Aper-tures 20 and 21 are provided for the water supply pipeand the pipe 22 connecting the tank with the bowl, with these beingclosable around such pipes by means of snaps 23 and 24-.

A top panel portion 25 covers the lid 11a of the toilet tank and issecured by stitching 26 to the upper edge of the front panel and bystitching 27 to the upper edge of the side panels. Integrally connectedto the top panel portion is a back panel portion 28 shaped to extenddown the back of the lid as shown in FIG. 2. The side edges of the backpanel portion are secured to the upper side edges of the side panelportions by stitching at 29.

Means are provided for fastening the cover on the tank including a stripof elastic 30 secured at its ends to the upper side edges of the sidepanel portions and between its ends to the free edge 31 of the backpanel portion.

In applying the cover of the present invention to a toilet tank, thesame is merely slipped over the top thereof and adjusted so that thehandle 13 extends through the slit 25 and the fastening means 30 extendsacross the back of the tank. Snaps 23 and 24 may then be secured toclose the apertures around the supply pipe leading to the tank and thedischarge pipe 22 connecting the tank to the bowl.

By reason of the fact that the cover is unitary in construction andcovers the top of the tank, slippage of the cover downwardly isprevented. Such slippage is sometimes caused where :a good deal ofcondensation moisture has been absorbed by the cover and the weightthereof is increased appreciably.

It will be noted that in applying the toilet tank cover of the presentinvention, it is not necessary for the housewife to remove or lift offthe lid of the toilet tank, normally a rather heavy ceramic article.Thus, it is not necessary that this heavy piece be handled by thehousewife nor that the edges of the lid cover and the tank cover betucked or otherwise folded under the edges of the lid and the free edgesof the top of the tank. In fact, in installing the cover of the presentinvention, the lid need not be handled at all, the cover merely slippingdown over the top of the tank.

In addition to providing a more secure support and fastening for thetoilet tank cover, the unitary cover of the present inventions presentsa heater appearance and is often less difficult to apply and remove.

I claim:

A cover for the tank of a toilet having a bowl connected to the tank bya pipe comprising:

(1) a unitary piece of material having a. a front panel portion to coverthe front of the tank,

a-l. said front panel portion having a slit therein to receive thehandle of the toilet, b. a pair of side panel portions to cover thesides of the tank, 0. a bottom panel portion secured to the lower 3 4edges of the front and side panel portions to of the top panel portion:and to the upper side cover at least a portion of the bottom of theedges of the side panel portions to cover at tank, least the back ofsaid lid, and

c-l. there being an aperture having a closa- (2) a strip of elasticsecured at its ends to said side ble access in the bottom panel portionto 5 edges and secured between its ends to the free edge surround a pipeconnecting the toilet tank of the back panel portion.

to the bowl, d. a top panel portion secured to the upper edges of thefront and side panel portions to cover the UNITED STATES PATENTS top lidof the tank and 10 2,709,468 Macrae et a1 May 31, 1955 e. a back panelportion secured to the rear edge 2,788,043 Dolnick Apr. 9, 1957References Cited in the file of this patent

